Editorial

There’s a lot of focus on teaching kids about bullying. There are laws against bullying. No name-calling weeks in schools. We urge kids not to be intimidated.

Sebastopol’s Rotten core

Where does the money go?

Now we know better. The next time we warn ourselves to be prepared for a big disaster we’d better listen to ourselves and be prepared to take it seriously, right? In late spring we warned this could be a record fire season, enabled by the multi-year drought, hotter weather and uncertain funding for sufficient firefighting forces. Editorials here and elsewhere quoted local fire officials, posting repeated warnings to clear a “defensible perimeter” and practice disaster relief drills. The big disaster the next time could be us, we warned.

I am shocked to see the misleading signs regarding Drakes Bay Oyster Company popping up around the Sonoma and Marin Counties. These signs should say Save Point Reyes Wilderness. I strongly support organic sustainable agriculture and I love oysters but the attempt by Drakes Oyster Company and their corporate allies to deny wilderness status to Drakes Estero has nothing to do with farming and everything to do with opening publicly owned wilderness lands to development. Pt. Reyes National Seashore is a wonderful example of cooperation between agriculture, the national park system, and wilderness.

As one of two new Co-Chairs of the Board of the Healdsburg Animal Shelter, I want to take this opportunity to update the community regarding the new Shelter facility and outline a path forward toward its completion in the short-term. Further, I do so not in an effort to point fingers at any of the parties involved to date, but rather to move as quickly as possible to finish what will be an extraordinary facility. Our very achievable goal is that the new facility will continue to serve the many animals in need that have been so well provided for by the existing Shelter and operate to the highest standard possible utilizing the best practices in modern day animal care.